Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $57,030
- Median hourly wage: $27.42
- Total employment: 870 people (2.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Albuquerque that don't require a college degree
Gen Z has figured out that college isn't the only way to land a high-paying job. According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 2 in 5 (38.6%) of recent high school graduates opted out of college in 2023, up from 33.8% in 2019.
This shift comes at a good time for high school grads, as companies face labor shortages for many jobs that don't require a college degree. Baby boomers retiring and a trend to reopen factories in the United States have both driven demand for young talent. A July 2024 Intelligent report found that 1 in 3 companies have already dropped bachelor's degree requirements across entry-level, mid-tier, and even senior positions to attract more employees.
The need for skilled workers, regardless of educational attainment, means better pay. Median wages for those with a high school degree are at their highest since 1990, according to the New York Federal Reserve.
At $40,000 on average, these wages are still $20,000 lower than those of a college grad. Yet nearly 1 in 5 workers who opt out of college earn more than employees with bachelor's degrees. Two million high school grads across the U.S. make six-figure annual salaries—without the financial burden of attending a four-year university. As of 2025, the average annual cost of college is more than $38,200 per student, and the average college graduate has more than $39,000 in student debt. It's little wonder that, according to a May 2024 survey from Pew Research, 29% of Americans think attending college is not worthwhile.
However, not every career field pays high school grads equally well, and understanding what the good jobs are is the first step to landing one. Stacker ranked the 50 highest-paying jobs that don't require a college degree in Albuquerque using annual compensation data from the BLS. The analysis included jobs that listed a high school diploma, a postsecondary nondegree award, or had no formal education requirements for entry-level positions. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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Pressmaster // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
- Median annual wage: $57,130
- Median hourly wage: $27.47
- Total employment: 230 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $57,190
- Median hourly wage: $27.50
- Total employment: 2,710 people (6.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Surveying and mapping technicians
- Median annual wage: $57,420
- Median hourly wage: $27.61
- Total employment: 230 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorgev // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. First-line supervisors of security workers
- Median annual wage: $57,920
- Median hourly wage: $27.85
- Total employment: 340 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $58,400
- Median hourly wage: $28.08
- Total employment: 370 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $59,150
- Median hourly wage: $28.44
- Total employment: 2,230 people (5.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $59,690
- Median hourly wage: $28.70
- Total employment: 330 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $59,860
- Median hourly wage: $28.78
- Total employment: 130 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $60,410
- Median hourly wage: $29.04
- Total employment: 1,550 people (3.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Carolina K. Smith MD // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Transportation security screeners
- Median annual wage: $60,590
- Median hourly wage: $29.13
- Total employment: 170 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Glenn Highcove // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Industrial truck and tractor operators
- Median annual wage: $60,960
- Median hourly wage: $29.31
- Total employment: 1,720 people (4.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $61,210
- Median hourly wage: $29.43
- Total employment: 1,240 people (3.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vera Larina // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Sheet metal workers
- Median annual wage: $61,360
- Median hourly wage: $29.50
- Total employment: 400 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
15 / 50#35. Construction and building inspectors (tie)
- Median annual wage: $61,510
- Median hourly wage: $29.57
- Total employment: 300 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BearFotos // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $61,510
- Median hourly wage: $29.57
- Total employment: 110 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $61,720
- Median hourly wage: $29.67
- Total employment: 1,440 people (3.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $62,140
- Median hourly wage: $29.88
- Total employment: 660 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Real estate sales agents
- Median annual wage: $62,370
- Median hourly wage: $29.99
- Total employment: 400 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $62,540
- Median hourly wage: $30.07
- Total employment: 4,090 people (10.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Private detectives and investigators
- Median annual wage: $62,600
- Median hourly wage: $30.10
- Total employment: 110 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisKlimov // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $62,680
- Median hourly wage: $30.14
- Total employment: 50 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $62,690
- Median hourly wage: $30.14
- Total employment: 190 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Photostriker // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Precision instrument and equipment repairers, all other
- Median annual wage: $62,980
- Median hourly wage: $30.28
- Total employment: 40 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $64,080
- Median hourly wage: $30.81
- Total employment: 900 people (2.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $64,550
- Median hourly wage: $31.03
- Total employment: 30 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santi lumubol // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $65,320
- Median hourly wage: $31.40
- Total employment: 480 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $65,570
- Median hourly wage: $31.52
- Total employment: 900 people (2.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Atstock Productions // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Telemarketers
- Median annual wage: $66,700
- Median hourly wage: $32.07
- Total employment: 240 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Occupational therapy aides
- Median annual wage: $67,890
- Median hourly wage: $32.64
- Total employment: 30 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $69,190
- Median hourly wage: $33.27
- Total employment: 180 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $71,270
- Median hourly wage: $34.26
- Total employment: 1,430 people (3.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nagy-Bagoly Arpad // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Insulation workers, mechanical
- Median annual wage: $71,730
- Median hourly wage: $34.49
- Total employment: 40 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $71,840
- Median hourly wage: $34.54
- Total employment: 1,160 people (2.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $73,840
- Median hourly wage: $35.50
- Total employment: 2,330 people (5.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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pio3 // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $74,250
- Median hourly wage: $35.70
- Total employment: 1,770 people (4.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Josep Suria // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $75,800
- Median hourly wage: $36.44
- Total employment: 60 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $76,500
- Median hourly wage: $36.78
- Total employment: 450 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Wipas Rojjanakard // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Occupational health and safety technicians
- Median annual wage: $77,130
- Median hourly wage: $37.08
- Total employment: 270 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Real estate brokers
- Median annual wage: $77,940
- Median hourly wage: $37.47
- Total employment: Not available
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Suwin // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay
- Median annual wage: $78,260
- Median hourly wage: $37.63
- Total employment: 50 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $78,670
- Median hourly wage: $37.82
- Total employment: 370 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
- Median annual wage: $78,880
- Median hourly wage: $37.92
- Total employment: 40 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Median annual wage: $80,380
- Median hourly wage: $38.65
- Total employment: 110 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $86,300
- Median hourly wage: $41.49
- Total employment: 560 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jat306 // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Millwrights
- Median annual wage: $90,750
- Median hourly wage: $43.63
- Total employment: 30 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $94,870
- Median hourly wage: $45.61
- Total employment: 300 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $94,990
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 160 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Washburn HM // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Transportation inspectors
- Median annual wage: $99,750
- Median hourly wage: $47.96
- Total employment: 40 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BearFotos // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Protective service workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $100,210
- Median hourly wage: $48.18
- Total employment: 390 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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